travellers to South Africa please note that the measles strain currently cuontrywide is drug-resistnent and can be potentially fatal. My son contracted it recently WHILST in hosptial

Please also note that although the Department of Health is making a lot of(pre-WordCup) noise about a Health Campaign to curn these diseases that you will pick up in any mall or shopping centre, they have confirmed that they do NOT have the necessary vaccines NOR the funds to obtain same.

Chidlren are required by law to have their vaccinations but due to the extremely high prevlanence of every kind of disease you can think of obviously little bodies cannot tolerate much more.

If you intend visiting South Africa PLEASE READ THESE WARNNGS – YOUR HEALTH WILLL BE- NOT MIGHT – WILL BE AT RISK!

Fifty three children have been hospitalised and treated for measles in the Western Cape.

The provincial Health Department said the number of reported cases had slowly begun to stabilise since the initial outbreak in September last year.

Health authorities said around 30 patients were treated and immediately discharged from hospitals and clinics each week.

The department’s Mark van der Heever said the National Immunisation Programme would continue as normal next month.

“The department has started to distribute the consent forms at schools, in order for the mass immunisation programme to kick in on the 12th of April.”

Van der Heever added the programme was already underway.

“Our immunisation programme started on the 8th of March. We’ve immunised children between the ages of six months and two years. It’s targeted at the hot spot areas, specifically focusing on those age groups,” he said.